Friday, June 22, 2012

I tend to do most of my blog posts on specific events, trips, subjects or outings we have. I’ve done a few “random pictures” posts in the past out of…well laziness or lack of time to blog to be honest…but I think it’s a good thing to just record random pictures I have here and there as they grow. Many of these pics simply get stuck on the cell phone, facebook, or in one of a thousand picture folders on the computer. Recording them here will guarantee I have them forever (we print our blog into a book each year) and allows me to share some of my favorites with family and followers!

We’ve been spending a lot of time at the pool lately. Their Puddle Jumpers (floats you see them wearing) that we got last year fit them much better this year and bring me HUGE peace of mind – the best thing out there for little swimmers in my opinion!

In their swimsuits! I don’t shop for them often but when I do…. WOW is it fun having quadruplets – how cute are they?!?! L-R Brody, Kylee, Korbin & Baxlyn

A little Fathers Day shopping this past week. I’ve attempted the leashes/monkey backpacks on several occasions….a) trying to practice the whole walking and staying with Mommy thing and b) to cut down on the insane attention/picture taking/strangers asking endless questions thing. So far it’s not all that easier than dragging out the beast of a stroller or the Choo Choo and certainly doesn’t cause much less of a scene. Korbin & B are fast walkers while Kylee & Brody are much slower and tend to get side tracked easily. I end up {literally} in a tangled mess and am constantly asking the two to slow down and the two to speed up while trying to dodge other shoppers and stay in the upright position myself. Practice makes perfect, right?! We’ll have to get something down before our number 5 gets here!

Speaking of taking them out by myself, many people are surprised I do it at all. It’s taken a lot of practice and learning certain helpful strategies. It’s not an easy thing by any means but they really are well behaved kids which helps a ton. Below is a picture at the hospital after one of my OB appointments. I had walked them upstairs to see the newborn babies in the windows when one of their neonatologists walked by. Such a pleasant surprise to see Dr. Lucena and his NEVER DISAPPEARING smile! He insisted on sitting for pictures, let the quads play with his badge and phone and helped them all jump off the steps over and over again. Such an incredible man that I’ll forever be thankful for!

The same day, out to eat just the 5 of us! Bret & Baxlyn at Olive Garden on Father’s Day

Some of my favorite moments….them sleeping. Not just for the obvious reason of quietness but I swear I can sit and watch them sleep for hours. Notice Korbin sleeping with his hands behind his head? He’s laid in that same exact position a million times since he was a little 2 pounder in the NICU…

Big Man Brody! This dude is ALL about 4 wheelers, golf carts, motorcycles and anything else that goes!

My first and second born…my “A” and “B”…Brody & Baxlyn!

A little fun in the sun at Aunt Beth’s!

Sweet sisters! I know you’re wondering if Baxlyn ever takes this blanket off her head. The answer is No.

Brothers (Notice I didn’t put “sweet brothers” like above). These boys Ay Yi Yi… this particular morning I went in to find pillow stuffing all over the floor. Brody looked up and informed me that “it snowed in their room”.

Kylee & Daddy headed out on a special date to the local grocery store. NOTHING makes them happier than getting some one on time with either Mommy or Daddy. Not only did she get to go by herself, it was raining so she got to wear her rain jacket! Add that to the fact she got to WALK at the grocery store, help pick out things to buy and leave 3 siblings crying at the door behind her and you have one happy, very special feeling, little girl!

For those of you who know our fab four, whether it be via the blog or in real life, you know Korbin and Baxlyn tend to have a closer bond while Brody & Kylee do their own thing. When I caught Korbin & Kylee playing and interacting together, you can bet I ran for my camera! At times I think they all look nothing alike and then there are times, like in these pics, they have SO many similarities!

It wasn’t a minute later and Baxlyn realized someone else was playing with “her puppy” and she quickly stepped in to intervene ;) An attempt at a group picture with Papa Jim & Gramma Carol on Papa Jim’s 75th Birthday! Out of the 6 of them I think Gramma Carol is the only one looking at the camera lol Nana & Aunt Beth took the boys overnight one night last weekend so Bret and I could spend some quality time with just the girls. While the boys got their share of being spoiled, we took the sisters to Applebees and did a little “spoiling” of our own…no high chairs, no brothers, no extra attention or questions from strangers and they each got their very own kids drink – no sharing! Love this one of Kylee & Daddy enjoying every minute of it all!

After dinner Bret took his 3 favorite girls to…Home Depot of course…isn’t that where all girly girls like to spend date night with Daddy?! Really tho, we had a great time. Daddy did the business side of the trip while the girls and I ran around the store looking at all kinds of things we know nothing about.

While on our little adventure through the store they immediately thought of their brothers when they saw this vacuum cleaner on display. I told them we could take a picture to show Brody & Korbin, which they thought was a great idea, but had no desire to smile for the pic…hilarious!

Chris & Bethany also known as “Uncle Cwis & Aunt Bethie”. The quads adore them as do Bret and I and some of the best nights are when they come to visit! They both enjoy playing the with quads, reading to them and Chris, in particular, loves to get them all loud and crazy!

Here’s Chris & Miss B playing “monster” with Daddy and the boys. He would growl as loud as he possible could while crawling towards the others, she would crack up….

…and Daddy & the boys would laugh, scream and tremble in fear!

They’ll love me for posting these pics… but here’s Chris & Bret showing off their hand/head standing skills while the babies watch in amazement. Yes kids, they are that cool ;)

Baxlyn, of course, had to give it a whirl too! I’ll bet money this girl will be some kind of gymnast/dancer/cheerleader like her Mama once was ;)

….Brody giving it his best, sweet little buddy. You go Big Man!

That’s all I’ll throw at you today! Life certainly is crazy busy these days with 4 3 year olds, one in the oven and other big things going on all at once! Can’t wait to see what the future holds for our little (big) family!

Friday, June 15, 2012

We’re officially half way there! 20 weeks down and hopefully another 20 to go! It’s flown by so far which is great in a way but we still have A LOT to get done before this baby gets here. I’m still feeling good and getting more and more energy back as time goes on. I’m happy to say I no longer depend on my zofran for sickness, something I could never say with the quads. My PB&J addiction has subsided and I feel pretty back to normal as far as appetite goes – although I have a dang big one naturally ;) I’m feeling more and more kicks now too, which it SO EXCITING! They are still few and far between. With Brody, Baxlyn, Kylee & Korbin I felt things constantly. When one would move it would tend to cause a chain reaction and they all would readjust…although it never bothered me, it was non-stop! Unfortunately I was only able to hold the quads for about 2 months after I started feeling them. I look forward to feeling this lil’ one inside of me for a long time and I’m hoping any day now, Bret will have the chance to feel the baby from the outside too!

I went for our big 20 week appointment yesterday… still funny to me that a “Big” appointment in a singleton pregnancy is an ultrasound that lasts about 20-30minutes! It was a nice break from my everyday life, laying calmly in dim light talking quietly with the sonographer and watching my little baby float about. I can’t help but wonder what he’s thinking in there (is he thinking at all!?) Is he bored? Is he lonely? All those (silly) little things that constantly keep me in wonder as I easily easily make my way through this “normal” pregnancy. You’ll notice I used “he” quite a bit…. our 13 week suspicion was confirmed 100%… it is definitely a BOY!

Everything looked perfectly healthy for our little man. Fluids, chambers of the heart, brain, bladder, kidneys….etc. all checked out just fine. He is measuring a little on the big side at 13oz putting him in the 84th percentile! Here’s a little shot at the bottom of his sweet little feet (one being at an angle so looks smaller)… Everyone has asked about names. Have we picked out any names yet and are we going to stick with the B&K thing?! We have 1, maybe 2 that we’re contemplating but we’re not sharing just yet with the world. We’re not set on using a “B” or a “K” to match the quads but ya never know! I think we had all 4 names picked out for the quads by this point (at least 3) but this time, maybe because we just pick ONE, is a bit harder!

Here’s a 20 week belly shot… with Kylee in on the action! As I went to take the pic, she was walking down the hall, saw me and turned to touch my belly. Occasionally she feels for a split second and exclaims “Oh, he kick me!” although I know she hasn’t truly felt anything just yet. She’s the closest to “getting it” and is the most excited out of the 4. I’ve grown quite a bit since 18 weeks for sure and “Holy Molar”, as Brody would say, in comparison to 13 weeks but am still managing to stay in my non-pregnancy jeans…well one very low-cut pair at least! I’ll have a comparison picture of quads verses singleton for ya next week!

Thanks for the unending support during this exciting time! We’ll update more soon!

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

One thing I love about the quads getting older is their ability to do more for themselves. Going from having 4 helpless needy tiny infants to having a small somewhat helpful cleaning crew of my very own has been a great change! It’s a constant battle between them on who is going to help with the laundry, who gets to sweep and who will get to do Mommy a “favor” next. To help organize their help and to help cut down on the fights I implemented a chore chart for each of them. Not only does this help them see which specific chores are theirs, in the end I’m hoping they learn responsibility, teamwork and that they have an important role in keeping the household running just as Mommy & Daddy do.

I had no idea on where to start with making a chore chart, especially when trying to make four charts, all different while keeping them as simple and easy to understand as possible. A friend of mine sent me to THIS SITE that does everything for you! It has super easy to follow steps and in the end you are left with a cute, personalized chore chart for each of your kiddos!

My next task was thinking of actual chores they could do – a lot harder than you’d think. I started with 3 chores per kid. They did the same 3 chores everyday for the entire week and I’ll change it up each week so they all get to do different things and learn they can share in the responsibilities. Let’s face it, although scrubbing toilets is not on their charts yet, nobody is gonna want to own that job on a daily basis when it is added to their list!

Below is Miss Kylee proudly pointing to her Ernie chore chart. Her chores this first week were to make her bed, clean the kitchen counters & sweep the entryway. I gave them all the first chore of making their beds which is expected to be done before breakfast in the morning. Honestly (and as expected) they suck at it and it would be WAY easier for me to go behind them and make them like I have in the past but I’m trying to remember the lesson they’re learning in it all. The neat freak in me struggles to see their upside-down pillow, crooked comforters and imperfectly folded blankets and leave them – but I do!

Some of the chores they are able to complete by themselves with just a little direction. Kylee, for example, knows just where the “little sweep” is and can get it and complete her chore all on her own while I work with the others on theirs.

A little blurry, but here’s a close up of Brody’s chart. In addition to making his bed in the morning, he got to vacuum the bedrooms and wash the bathroom sink. For each chore completed they get a sticker of their choice to put on their chart, which they love. Other than that, we’re not doing any kind of reward system for doing their chores. I think it’s ok to teach them chores are not a choice or a “favor” you’re doing anyone but something that’s expected of you.

Here’s the Broman hard at work cleaning the bathroom sink. I’m not allowing them to use any sprays or Lysol wipes at this point, a simple baby wipe will do! He’s had the hardest time of them all, understanding that there are no more chores to do once his 3 are completed. I could easily give him a list of 20 chores and he’d happily move from one to the other!

If you know Brody (both boys for that matter) you know he has loved to sweep and vacuum since he was able to stand on his little two feet. Rarely do we go out into a public place where he doesn’t try to sweep or clean something in some way. Whether it’s being intrigued by someone sweeping at a restaurant, the hair salon or hospital hallway he is always ready and willing to lend a helping hand in the cleaning department! That’s right ladies, I’m raising the perfect man ;)

Korbin’s chores for the week were to make his bed, clean the front door & clean the quad table.

Between waiting for Daddy to arrive home, looking at birds & waving to the garbage men faithfully, our front door is constantly covered with 32,000 tiny handprints and definitely deserves a spot on someone's chart. This chore is one that is done by me on a daily basis and it’s nice to be able to hand it off to one of the causes themselves ;) I’ll admit when nap time comes around this is one of the jobs I re-do. Again…the lesson their learning, right?!

Scrub a dub dub!

Baxlyn’s chores for the week, in addition to making her bed, were to clean the back door & to vacuum the living room. Although she doesn’t complain about her chores a bit, she has a more typical look at having to do them. She’ll do it but has no desire to keep asking for more and more work like the others. She’s impressed me multiple times as I’ve gone in to get them in the morning and she proudly says “I made my bed, Mommy!” without me even asking!

Of all the chores listed, vacuuming is by far the most special. Here’s my little B cleaning the living room floors – which, for now, look like the floors of a daycare playroom. Not too much longer and I’ll have my nice “living room” looking living room back ;)

My next goal is to come up with some kind of age-appropriate behavior chart/reward-consequence system. Again, not really a clue where to start but I’ll come up with something soon. If you’ve got any (positive) input or would like to share how you work with your toddlers, I’m all ears…..or ugh…eyes in this case! For you Moms like me who need help in the Chore Chart department, take a look at the link I post above!

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Sweet number 5 news today! I hit 19 weeks yesterday and am able to (confidently) say I felt KICKS this morning!! I have been anxiously waiting for weeks now and thought I felt a little something last week but wasn’t so sure and didn’t feel another thing until today. This morning there was no doubt as I felt it on the inside and out as well as saw it from the outside. It’s just as exciting as the first time with the the quads…although I don’t know who the first kick was from in that case. The further I get into this pregnancy the more excited I get. It already feels like a whole new experience with just ONE baby. As I lay there in bed listening to that sweet single heartbeat I already feel like we get that special one on one time that is so hard to get with multiples.

I tried explaining to Brody, Baxlyn, Kylee & Korbin this morning that soon they would feel the baby kick them too. They all looked at me in total disbelief that I would actually be excited someone was going to kick them. “That not bery nice, Mom.” So sweet watching their little minds try to wrap around and take in the idea of another baby in the house!

Monday, June 4, 2012

I’ve gotten pretty ehh…decent at cutting the boys’ hair with the clippers at home but occasionally we take them in for a “professional” do. This trip we decided we would take the girls along as well for their very first cuts. Those of you who “know” our babies, know that Miss B has had some slightly different hair over her three years. Kylee’s pretty good in the hair department but Baxlyn definitely needed a good trim to cut off the excess hair that came in MONTHS before the rest of it. I personally didn’t like the idea of cutting Kylee’s hair but Daddy insisted. She’s got the most precious baby curls (hard to see in these pics as she was freshly bathed) and I was terrified to lose them.

Korbin gladly decided to go first… The girls watching closely as brave Korbin got his hair cut. Miss B watched for just a minute and made herself comfortable on a cushion with the kids’ books while happily volunteering OTHERS to go next to get their cuts.

I thought that if anyone would give us a problem it would be Kylee. I thought for sure she would get scared and that would be my ticket to not having her hair cut ;) I was wrong. She was excited and hopped right up in that chair like a pro! Besides not keeping her head in one spot for more than 1.3 seconds for the lady, she did great!

We only cut about an inch off of her hair and her beautiful curls are still intact!

Kylee & Korbin – who is quick to ham it up for the camera nowadays!

Brody was 3rd to have his hair cut and did great as well. The dude has so many cow licks (and his lil’ famous swirl in the front) but the hairdresser was able to work around him and make him look just as handsome as can be :)

At this point, I was over prepping Baxlyn, letting her know that there were no other kids to be cut and that it was her turn. I turned around to find Brody (my little cleaner) helping sweep up the remaining hair on the floor, sweet guy!

Baxlyn did good with her haircut as well. Wasn’t afraid but refused to give the camera a smile…We cut about 3 inches off the longest part of her hair which left her with a straight cut across the back. Notice Brody admiring from the side… My foursome after their haircuts enjoying their suckers… The 2 days prior to their haircuts they had been talking nonstop about waffles. We haven’t had them (frozen, of course) at the house in a while, someone mentioned them and it stuck. I had gone to the grocery store the day before and forgot to buy them and boy oh boy did they et me know! As a reward for doing so great during their haircuts we all, including Daddy, went to the store on the quest for waffles.

Here they are spread out among the frozen food aisle in search of their waffles. I’m always amazed at the simple things that stick out to them, being a quadruplet. As we walked in the store Brody exclaimed “We not in duh stwoller!” he was beyond thrilled they had the freedom to walk, which doesn’t happen when I’m alone with them. I had taken Korbin to Target the other day, just me and him, and that was the thing he was excited about too. He had glanced over and seen an 8 year old across the store and said “She walk like ME!!!” I couldn’t help but laugh as I’m sure the clerk was left wondering why my three year old was so overly impressed another (bigger) kid could walk. Ohhh….the life of a singleton ;)

They found the waffles and we pulled the biggest box we could off of the shelf. Little, but oh so mighty, Baxlyn insisted she was going to carry the box to the register herself. The lil’ 28 pounder carrying a box half her size was on the verge of losing her pants the whole way but managed to make it a good 20 feet before handing it off to someone else… I wish I would have gotten a picture of Brody’s face. He couldn’t see at all where he was going but he was proudly grinning ear to ear while helping carry the waffles! This lil’ dude, by the way, doing GREAT with his braces!

As challenging as these 3 year old days are, I love seeing them get so excited over the little things. Who would have thought a trip to the grocery store to buy a box of waffles could be such a FUN family event…. ahh so blessed!